India-Pak conflict: Govt may send you alert on phone, don’t get alarmed because here is what it will mean
We do not know if there will be a wider war between India and Pakistan, but the government wants the country to be ready for any eventuality. Hence the civil defence mock drills, which are going across the country in various districts. As part of the country’s readiness to deal with emergency situations, the Indian government is also likely to re-test the Cell Broadcast Alert System. The system was put in place a few years ago and in the past its readiness has been checked through a few mock emergency alerts.
When the alert arrives, it makes the phone scream rather loudly with a sharp alarm tone and a flashing message. At least that is what we saw in the late 2023 and then in 2024 when India tested the system in select regions. The system has been created to send emergency messages in case of disasters, although it is possible that the government would, if required, use it in case of war and regional conflict.
According to the Indian government, “the Cell Broadcast Alert System is a state-of-the-art technology that allows us to send critical and time-sensitive messages for disaster management to all mobile devices within a designated geographical area, irrespective of whether the recipients are residents or visitors.”
The system has been implemented in collaboration with telecom companies like Airtel and Jio. “It is used by government agencies and emergency services to inform the public about potential threats and keep them informed during critical situations,” explained a note issued by the government in 2023.
If the alerts are part of the mock drill, phone users will see the notification that specifies the mock drill part. In these instances, users will not be required to take any action. When the government tested the system earlier, it had noted, “During the testing period, people may receive simulated emergency alerts on their mobile devices Each test alert will be clearly indicated that it is a Test Message to avoid confusion.”
How to set your phone to not miss the alert
Although India’s Cell Broadcast Alert System is designed to perform irrespective of what settings you have in your phone, just to be on the safe side, you can also switch on a few settings.
In case you have an Android phone, you should take following steps:
— Open Settings
— Scroll down to Safety and Emergency
— Tap on Wireless Emergency Alerts
— Turn on all available alert options
On the iPhone, you can do the following:
— Go to Settings
— Tap on Notifications
— Scroll to the bottom and look for Government Alerts
— Enable the Test Alerts toggle
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